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 Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 6:34 pm
Kumarajiva walked, a bag bouncing against his shoulder. The bag was currently empty, but he hoped to fill it soon. He was heading to a certain place in the forest, one where certain plants grew even in the winter. These plants were very rare and hard to find, but made for potent potions when used correctly. They were very effective at treating the illnesses that often struck herds in the dead of winter. The only problem was that in high enough concentrations, they were also very toxic.
Kuma had been learning the use of this plant, the bitterberry, with his new herdmates. He hoped to be able to brew up a tonic with it to distribute to any nearby groups that might be falling ill. First though, he'd have to find it. Hoping that he remembered the directions he'd been given, Kuma altered his course slightly. If all went well, he knew he should be coming across them soon... and there they were!
A relieved smile spread across his face. It was immediately easy to spot the green and red bitterberries, and here they grew in abundance. He'd be able to fill his bag in barely any time at all!
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Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 6:40 pm
The Other prowled through the lowlands. It wasn't often that he and his brother descended from their frozen mountain domain, but today they had reasons important enough to make the journey. They'd left their familiars behind, both to protect the territory and for speed. The bears weren't exactly the fastest of all creatures, after all. Neither of the brothers wanted to spend any more time than necessary in these snowless places.
What they were after was simple, berries. Bitterberries were known to make a very potent poison, and the Other wanted to lace traps with it. Food imbued with concentrated bitterberry juice could kill an unlucky soquili in a matter of hours. It was the perfect trick to help eliminate unwanted interlopers.
They had sent the wolf Skagos ahead to search, and he'd told them that a grove of bitterberries lay in this direction. For the wolf's sake, the Other hoped he was correct.
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Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 6:49 pm
White Walker's breath hissed out in a cold mist. He was an ulun'suti and was able to use their hereditary ice breath power. Bitterly, he reflected on how much stronger they had been in isolation, when the barriers were up and they were like gods among ants. Such a domain of ice that he had been part of then, it had been beautiful beyond compare. When their ancient artifact was destroyed and their power weakened, a hatred had bloomed within White Walker. Their ice had melted, leaving him and his brother to journey the desert alone in search of the cold.
The power they had now was only a fraction of what their breed had held mere years ago. White Walker hated their current weakness almost as much as he hated the heat. Now, the best he could manage was to summon water and blow frost from his lungs. His brother warned him to conserve power, to use it only when needed to destroy enemies. White Walker didn't agree. Frost and cold oozed out of his mouth with each breath. It did not have the force to create a great freeze, like a full attack of breath would create, but it enveloped him in a delightful chill.
Perhaps he would not have the strength of magic to freeze an enemy if they came upon one, but his use allowed himself to be more comfortable at these lower altitudes.
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Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 6:54 pm
Kumarajiva carefully harvested the bitterberries. A berry or two wouldn't harm him, but he knew that many more than that would start causing him indigestion. If he was unlucky, it could be even worse. He pulled them off the branch gently, making sure not to rupture their skin. His bag was slowly filling now, green and red berries nestled in its dark interior.
That was when he heard it, the sound of more soquili approaching. "Hello?" he called, friendly at the thought of meeting someone new. That was when he felt it, a chill on the breeze. The smile faded from his face. What was going on?
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Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 7:00 pm
The Other's eyes narrowed in concentration. He looked at a lone berry on a branch before him. It was green with large red spots. Yes, that looked like a bitterberry. "We're here," he muttered. However, one berry wouldn't do them much good. Where was the rest of the patch?
That was when he heard it, a call of greeting from ahead of them. A sneer crept across his face. There was someone else here first. They would regret that. He prowled forward, White Walker beside him. They both emerged to see a lone unicorn, standing there looking intimidated, but not nearly as frightened as he ought to be.
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Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 7:02 pm
White Walker stepped forward to join his brother in staring down the one that so foolishly called to them. He looked from the bag around the unicorn's neck to the bitterberry bushes, obviously recently stripped. His lip lifted, showing glacier-blue fangs.
"Give us the berries."
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 2:22 pm
"I... ah... ah..." Words were failing him. Kuma found himself indeed meeting new soquili, but these were not the friendly faces he had hoped for. He tried not to judge a soquili by their appearance, but these two looked frightful. They were all dressed in armor, but the armor shone like ice more than like metal. Their eyes glowed an unearthly blue color, and their teeth were even worse. When they spoke, he could see long fangs in their mouths, but the fangs were the deep blue of a glacier. A frigid mist rolled in with them, and Kuma felt his legs begin to tremble.
"The bitterberries, you mean?" In his fear, he asked the most inane question he could have. Of course they wanted the bitterberries. He had no idea why he said it, but he could tell by their expressions that they weren't impressed.
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 2:29 pm
"Yessss," the word came out in an acid hiss. The Other had no patience for fools. "The bitterberries." He slunk forward towards the stallion, looking more like a slithering snake than any sort of equine. "Give them to us and we will spare your life." He hadn't decided yet whether this was a lie. On rare occasions they'd allowed the warmblooded to leave their sight unharmed. Sometimes it wasn't worth the effort of killing something. If the unicorn was respectful and cooperative, the Other might indeed let him off with only a slash or two to remind him to fear the cold.
He could tell the stallion was terrified. For the unicorn's sake, he had better resist his urge to bolt. If he bolted, he'd be dead.
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 2:33 pm
The unicorn was so afraid, his eyes were starting to get that hypnotized look that White Walker sometimes saw in rabbits right before he bit them in half. He smirked and licked his lips, black tongue flicking out over cold teeth. Unicorns were one of his least favorite breeds.
He was a little surprised to even hear his brother offer clemency to their prey. White Walker had no doubt in his mind that the two of them could overwhelm the unicorn. It wouldn't even be hard, and then they could drag the meat back up the mountain with them. It would make a nice meal to go along with the production of their poisons.
While his brother kept the unicorn's attention, White Walker began to prowl around to the side. He would box off the unicorn, and then they could make their move.
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 2:36 pm
It wasn't difficult to figure out that his safety wasn't really a guarantee no matter what the situation. The only question was... what could he possibly do about it? Kuma felt himself flashing through the stories he had heard all his life. Stories of skinwalkers, of kalonas. Stories of blood, death, and the grief felt by those left behind. Many members of his home herd still bore those scars of the soul. If he died, how large a scar would he leave?
Still, his hooves were rooted to the ground. That was right, they wanted the berries. The berries that could be used to make poisons if one had the right skills and evil intent.
Kuma went from terror to resolve in less time than it took for his heart to beat. He couldn't let them have it. He whirled around, sprinting away as fast as he could.
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 2:39 pm
"Idiot!" snarled the Other, though it was unclear whether he spoke to the unicorn or to his brother. He had noticed White Walker sneaking around to a better spot and was sure that the unicorn had too. White Walker had obviously scared him into bolting, and now they had to deal with a chase and the inevitable fight after.
The Other tried to breathe cold at the fleeing unicorn, but it was too late. He was out of range. Snarling, the Other sprang into motion after him. He didn't bother waiting to see if White Walker was following. He had no time to waste dealing with that imbecile. He'd known unicorns to be a fast breed, and it would be all too easy to lose their prey if they didn't stay on his trail.
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 2:46 pm
White Walker bellowed in frustration. This was his brother's fault! They should have just attacked the stallion when they had first seen him! But he had to smirk at his brother's failed attempt at ice breath. The unicorn wasn't even damp. It wouldn't have done anything even if he'd hit!
He started galloping after the unicorn a moment after his brother did. "Give us the berries!" he snarled. He smashed his tail against a tree as he passed, making a fearsome sound. The more scared they made their prey, the more likely he was to make a mistake. Even the smallest of mistake could lead to a kill now.
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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2015 6:54 pm
In his haste, Kuma ran without thinking. This wasn't the way he had come from and he didn't recognize the ground he ran over. He knew it was dangerous to run without a plan, but it didn't seem like he had another option while being chased by two horrible ice monsters, or whatever they were. As he ran, he suddenly became aware of a growing sound. What was it?
Water.
He burst out of cover with a roaring river in front of him. It was wider across than he ever had swam. He hesitated, skidding to a stop at it's banks.
The sound of enraged shrieking came from behind him. The monsters were still on his tail. Kuma swallowed dryly, then plunged in. Immediately he realized that the water was deeper than he had thought, and faster too. His hooves lifted off the stones beneath them and he was afloat. Rather than swimming, he was being swept downstream.
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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2015 7:12 pm
The Other was running ahead of his brother. The unicorn was steadily outpacing them. The two ulun'suti were of course burned by their armor. That made them slower. On top of that, their wings and tails dragged at the air. Overall, they were not built for speed. Angry, the Other realized that they were beat. They couldn't catch up with their quarry.
And that was when he noticed the unicorn slowing. Ha! They'd cornered him against the river. He doubted the unicorn would dive into those waters, not when they moved soq quickly.
He was wrong. The unicorn plunged in. Swearing to himself, the Other splashed in after. In the water, his long and serpentine form would work to his advantage. Of course, the armor did make that more difficult... He immediately had a hard time swimming. Spluttering and furious, he swore dark curses as he coughed out river water.
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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2015 7:15 pm
White Walker fell behind his twin, and realized that was to his advantage. The Other followed the unicorn into the water. White Walker couldn't fathom why. His brother was usually the more calm and reasoned one, and now he dove in without putting any thought into it at all. White Walker recognized the danger the river could pose. He wasn't going in there. He remembered what his brother inexplicably had forgotten, that they had wings.
He flapped into the air. His armor made it an ungraceful take off, but he made it up all the same. He quickly gained height, looking down at his brother and the unicorn in the water below. He could immediately tell that the unicorn was no expert swimmer, but he was doing better than the Other.
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